Method of creating vivid paintings using clear canvas

ABSTRACT

A method of creating vivid life-like paintings using a clear or translucent canvas is provided. The method includes placing the canvas atop an image to be reproduced and tracing outline and highlight colors from the image onto the front side of the canvas. The canvas is then turned over and field colors and background colors are applied to the back side of the canvas. As a final step, a clear coating can be applied to the front side of the canvas. The result is a surprisingly vivid and life-like rendering of the image when the canvas is viewed from its front side. The rendering results from the combination of outlines and highlights on the front of the canvas and field and background colors visible through the canvas from the back side thereof, all enhanced by the clear coating.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates generally to artistic paintings and moreparticularly to painting techniques for reproducing a selected image inacrylics or oils on a clear or translucent canvas.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Painting is an age-old art form dating from at least as early andman's cave dwelling ancestors to the paintings of the middle ages, tomodern renderings. Historically, high quality paintings acceptable forframing and display have been the domain of professionally trained fineartists who develop their skill and talent after years of study andpractice. This is particularly true of certain types of paintings andtechniques of painting, such as portrait painting, which generallyrequire exceptional artistic skill and experience. Although many lessexperienced artists and even novices or craftspeople would like toproduce high quality paintings and portraits suitable for display, manyare often frustrated by the results they are able to obtain usingtraditional painting techniques.

[0003] Attempts have been made in the past to provide various guides andtools that can be used by novice artists to create high qualitypaintings. One well known method is the classic “paint-by-numbers”system wherein outlines of various portions of a scene are printed on acanvas with numbers printed in each outlined portion. Paints areprovided with colors corresponding to the numbers and the painterapplies the appropriate paints within the outlined portions to produce afinished painting. While millions for relaxation and entertainment overthe years have used the paint-by-numbers technique, it neverthelesstends to produce paintings that lack the vivid natural qualities ofpaintings produced by professional artists. In fact, paintings producedwith the paint-by-numbers system generally are very recognizable as suchand usually are not considered to be of a quality and character suitablefor framing and display. Further, when using the paint-by-numberssystem, an artist is strictly limited to specific scenes that areprovided by the makers of the painting kits and are thus unable tocreate unique paintings or portraits of family members or friends. Thus,paint-by-numbers techniques are at best a crude attempt to allow anovice to produce high quality paintings.

[0004] Most novices are more comfortable when they are able to trace ascene or portrait they wish to paint. In addition, tracing allows one torecreate familiar or favorite scenes and even portraits and thusovercomes some of the limitations of the paint-by-numbers technique. Thetracing process can also provide valuable training and instruction tothe novice artist. Painting techniques that take advantage of thesefacts have been made available in the past. U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,233, forexample, discloses a method of art instruction wherein a clear sheet ofplastic is adhered to a television screen. An image is projected on thescreen and a student paints over or copies the image as seen through theclear plastic sheet. The sheet is then removed and the painted image istransferred to a canvas or other sheet material for mounting anddisplay. While this technique is intriguing, it nevertheless is fraughtwith problems and shortcomings. For example, an expensive televisionscreen and a VCR or other source of images is required. The inaccuracyof color reproduction by a television is also a problem as is thetransfer technique itself, which can require special heat transferablepaints and can produce results that lack the vivid finished quality offine artwork.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 2,517,664 of Hill discloses an educational drawingdevice wherein pre-printed drawings are traced onto a sheet of tracingpaper in stages of complexity to provide instruction and training indrawing techniques. In a similar vein, U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,250 of VanSavage discloses a painting guide kit wherein a clear sheet of materialis placed on successive portions of a scene printed in reverse or mirrorimage form. The sheet is first placed on portions of the scenerepresenting foreground images and these portions are painted. Next, thesheet is placed on portions representing intermediate objects andfinally on portions representing background objects, and each portion ispainted in turn. When painting is complete, the finished image isrevealed when the sheet is viewed from its front side. The techniques ofthese patents, while interesting, still require specialized preprintedguides and drawings and are thus limited to specific scenes. Further,the finished painting also lacks the natural vivid quality of fineartwork.

[0006] Thus, a need exists for a painting method that will allow thenovice painter to produce vivid life-like professional lookingpaintings, that is not limited to specific preprinted guides or scenes,that will allow the painter to reproduce familiar scenes and portraitsof loved ones and friends, and that is easy to use by almost anyonewishing to indulge in the art of painting. It is to the provision ofsuch a painting method and technique that the present invention isprimarily directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Briefly described, the present invention, in one preferredembodiment thereof, comprises a method of creating vivid life-likepaintings using a clear or translucent canvas having front and backsides. The method comprises the steps of overlaying the canvas atop animage such as a still life, landscape, or portrait to be reproduced onthe canvas with the front side of the canvas exposed and with the imagevisible through the canvas. Preselected outlines in the image are thentraced onto the front side of the canvas to define the basic shapes ofthe painting. Next, preselected portions of the image, preferablyindividual highlights, shading, or foreground elements are painted ontothe front side of the canvas with the colors of the image providing aguide to the selection of colors painted onto the canvas. The canvas isthen removed from the image and turned over so that its back side isexposed. Broad field and background colors are painted onto the backside of the canvas using the previously traced outlines, which arevisible through the canvas, as a guide. Preferably, field colors, thatis the colors of objects in the image, are painted first followed bybackground colors and successive colors are painted onto previouslyapplied colors without the need for great care in delineating bordersbetween the two. Finally, the painted canvas is turned back over and aclear coating is applied to the front side of the canvas to enhance theappearance of the painted image and to simulate texture and brushstrokes in the painting. When dry, the finished painting is viewed fromthe front of the canvas. The result is a surprisingly vivid andlife-like painting with the background and field colors, somewhat mutedby the clear or translucent canvas, visible through the canvas and withthe highlights, shadows, and foreground objects clearly visible on thefront of the canvas. The painting can then be framed or otherwisemounted and displayed in the usual way.

[0008] Thus, an improved method of creating vivid paintings is nowprovided that successfully addresses the problems and shortcomings ofthe prior art. Specifically, with the method of this invention, a noviceor craftsperson can recreate in paint any image that is desired withoutthe need for special guides or pre-printed images. The method istherefore especially suited to creating portraits from photographs andthe result is a correctly proportioned, life-like, and surprising vividreproduction suitable for framing and display. The invention alsocontemplates a painting kit provided with one or more clear canvases anda selection of paints specifically chosen for particular subjects suchas landscapes, portraits, and still life renderings.

[0009] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method ofcreating vivid paintings that can be practiced by amateur or novicepainters with results more akin to the work of experienced professionalartists.

[0010] It is another object of the invention to provide a technique ofreproducing images that does not require specialized guides orpre-printed images.

[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide a novel newpainting technique that results in surprisingly vivid paintings with theminimum time and skill.

[0012] A further object of the invention is to provide a painting kitusable by amateur artists to create vivid life-like reproductionssuitable for display.

[0013] These and other objects, features, and advantages of theinvention will become more apparent upon review of the detaileddescription set forth below when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing figures, which are briefly described as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the overlayingof a clear canvas atop an image to be reproduced according to apreferred embodiment of the invention.

[0015]FIG. 2 illustrates the reproduction of outlines, highlights, andshading on the front of the clear canvas using the underlying image as aguide.

[0016]FIG. 3 illustrates application of broad field and backgroundcolors to the back of the canvas after selected portions of the imagehave been reproduced on the front of the canvas.

[0017]FIG. 4 illustrates the final step of applying a clear coating tothe front of the canvas to simulate brush strokes and give the paintinga finished look.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0018] Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which likenumerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, FIGS. 1through 4 illustrate the various steps of the painting techniqueaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1 illustratesa sheet or template 11 bearing an image 12 to be reproduced and renderedas a painting according to the invention. The image 12 is a simple stilllife in the drawings of FIGS. 1 through 4; however, it will beunderstood that the image could be virtually any image that the artistwishes to reproduce. For example, the image could be a landscape,seascape, or a portrait and could take the form of photograph, a picturefrom a magazine, a specially prepared image, or another painting. Infact, the present invention is particularly effective when reproducingportraits because it results in a correctly proportioned rendering andthe vivid life-like results are particularly suited to portraits.

[0019] A sheet of clear canvas 13 has a front side 14 and a back side16. The canvas 13 can be fabricated of a variety of materials includingglass, acetate, or styrene and can be clear or, preferably, slightlytranslucent. It has been found that a slightly translucent canvasenhances the vivid appearance of the final painting because of itssubtle diffusing of paints applied to the back side 16 of the canvaswhen viewed from the front side 14. It has also been found that a canvasthat is textured at least on the front side and preferably on the frontand back sides is preferable because the texture holds paint better andsimulates the appearance of a cloth canvas. In this regard, texturedtranslucent plastic sheets known as stencil blanks or leading blanksavailable from most craft shops have been found to perform well whenused in the method of this invention.

[0020] In the first step of the method, the clear canvas 13 is overlayedatop the template 11 bearing the image 12 as indicated by the arrows 17in FIG. 1 with its front side 14 exposed. When the two are overlayed,the image 12 is visible through the clear canvas.

[0021] Referring to FIG. 2, with the canvas overlayed on the image,preselected portions of the image are traced and reproduced on the frontside 14 of the clear canvas 13. Generally, the portions reproduced onthe front side 14 will be outlines 18 of key elements of the image,which can be traced with an outlining pen 21, as well as highlights andshading features 19, which are painted onto the canvas 13 with ahighlighting brush 22. In each case, the underlying image serves as aguide to the position and proportions of the various elements of thepainting and to the selection of paint colors to match the shading andhighlight colors in the image.

[0022] In one embodiment, it is anticipated that the invention will besupplied in kit form with the kit including clear canvases and aselection of paint colors designed for a particular subject. Forexample, a portrait kit will include colors for skin tones and shadingwhile a landscape kit will include colors selected to be appropriate forthe elements of a landscape such as, for example, vegetation and sky.Pre-prepared images might also be supplied, although the presentinvention is particularly suited to reproduction of any images orportraits that the artist wishes to reproduce.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 3, after the outlines, highlights, and shadinghave been applied to the front side 14 of the canvas 13, the canvas isremoved from the image and turned over to expose its back side 16. Whenso turned, the outlines, highlights, and shading previously applied tothe front side of the canvas are clearly visible from the back side 16through the canvas 13. Using the outlines as a guide, field colors 23and background colors 24 are next applied to the back side 16 of thecanvas using an appropriate field and background brush 26. Althoughthese colors may be applied in any desired order, it has been foundeffective to apply the field colors, that is the colors defining thevarious elements of the painting, first followed by the backgroundcolors. One aspect of the invention is that extreme skill is notrequired when applying the field and background colors and one mayoverlap the other. Thus, the technique of this invention is particularlysuited for use by novice or amateur painters who have yet to develop theskill and control of a fine artist.

[0024] It should be understood that application of field and backgroundcolors may be done in slightly different ways depending on the subjectmatter of the image being produced. In landscapes, for example,foreground objects are generally filled in first followed by objects inintermediate planes and finally by the background. In a portrait, skincolors and hair might be applied first followed by the background. Manyother variations are possible according to the subject matter anddesired end effect and any variation of application order and techniqueshould be considered to be within the scope of this invention.

[0025] With the background and field colors applied, the clear canvas isagain turned over, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to expose its front side. Aclear coating of acrylic or other appropriate coating is then appliedwith a brush 28 to the front side 14, preferably covering the entirefront surface including the previously applied outlines and highlights.The clear coating has been found to provide at least two advantages.First, it enhances and deepens the colors applied to the canvas toprovide a more vivid result and, second, the clear coating simulatesbrush strokes, particularly when applied in a random changing pattern,further enhancing the oil-on-canvas look of the finished painting. Inaddition, the clear coating acts as a finishing agent to protect thepaint on the front side of the canvas. Alternatively, the clear coatingmay be omitted in cases where its effects are not desired by the artist.The painting can then be framed or otherwise mounted and displayed.

[0026] With the clear coating applied, the method of the invention iscomplete. The finished painting, when viewed from the front side of thecanvas, has a surprisingly vivid, natural, and life-like appearance andis correctly colored, shaded, and proportioned because the originalimage provided a guide to the artist in each instance. Mostsignificantly, creation of the painting does not require the skill andtalent of a fine artist but nevertheless produces results thatapproaches the work of a fine artist. A novice or amateur painter, usingthe technique of this invention, is therefore encouraged and can beproud of the finished painting.

[0027] The invention has been described herein in terms of preferredembodiments and methodologies. It will be obvious to those of skill inthe art, however, that various modifications to the illustratedtechnique are possible within the scope of the invention. For example,while the technique is well suited to creating the appearance of anoil-on-canvas painting, it can also be used to reproduce painted imageson thin clear material that can be wrapped or applied to objects such asplates, cups, or jewelry boxes. Further, while acrylic paints have beenfound to work well with the technique, other types of paints are alsopossible such as, for example, oils, grease paints, or watercolors. Infact, it might be desired to reproduce black and white images, in whichcase only outlines and shades of gray rather than colors might be used.The technique can also be used to produce vivid life-like reproductionsof intricate stained glass windows when leaded dividers are applied tothe front of the clear canvas and the colors of the glass are applied tothe back side. Backlighting the finished rendering can enhance thiseffect. These and many other additions, deletions, and modificationsmight well be implemented by those of skill in the art without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of creating vivid paintings using aclear canvas having front and back sides, said method comprising thesteps of: (a) placing the clear canvas atop an image to be reproduced onthe canvas with the front side of the canvas exposed, the image beingvisible through the clear canvas; (b) tracing preselected portions ofthe image onto the front side of the clear canvas; (c) removing thecanvas from the image; (d) turning the canvas over to expose the backside of the canvas, the traced preselected portions of the image on thefront side of the canvas being visible through the clear canvas; (e)applying paint to the back side of the canvas in preselected portions ofthe image; and (f) turning the canvas over to expose the front side ofthe canvas, the combination of tracings on the front side of the canvasand the paint visible through the canvas from the back side of thecanvas creating a vivid painted reproduction of the image.
 2. A methodof creating vivid paintings using a clear canvas as claimed in claim 1and wherein step (b) comprises tracing the outlines of the image ontothe front side of the canvas.
 3. A method of creating vivid paintingsusing a clear canvas as claimed in claim 2 and wherein step (b) furthercomprises painting selected highlights from the image onto the frontside of the canvas.
 4. A method of creating vivid paintings using aclear canvas as claimed in claim 3 and wherein step (b) furthercomprises painting selected shadows from the image onto the front sideof the canvas.
 5. A method of creating vivid paintings using a clearcanvas as claimed in claim 4 and wherein step (e) comprises applyingfield colors to the back side of the canvas.
 6. A method of creatingvivid paintings using a clear canvas as claimed in claim 5 and whereinstep (e) further comprises applying background colors to the back sideof the canvas.
 7. A method of creating vivid paintings using a clearcanvas as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising the step (g) ofapplying a clear coating to the front side of the canvas to simulatebrush strokes and enhance the appearance of the painting.
 8. A method ofcreating a painting using a clear canvas having a front side and a backside, said method comprising the steps of: (a) painting firstpreselected portions of the subject of the painting to the front side ofthe clear canvas; (b) painting second preselected portions of thesubject of the painting to the back side of the clear canvas; (c)viewing the canvas from the front side thereof, the first preselectedportions of the subject being visible on the front side of the canvasand the second preselected portions of the subject being visible throughthe clear canvas to convey a completed image of the subject of thepainting.
 9. A method of creating a painting using a clear canvas asclaimed in claim 8 and where in step (a), the preselected portionsinclude outlines of the subject.
 10. A method of creating a paintingusing a clear canvas as claimed in claim 9 and where in step (a) thepreselected portions include highlights on the subject.
 11. A method ofcreating a painting using a clear canvas as claimed in claim 10 andwhere in step (a) the preselected portions include shadows on thesubject.
 12. A method of creating a painting using a clear canvas asclaimed in claim 11 and where in step (b) the preselected portionsinclude field colors painted in the outlines of the subject visiblethrough the canvas from the front side thereof.
 13. A method of creatinga painting using a clear canvas as claimed in claim 12 and where in step(b) the preselected portions include background colors.
 14. A method ofcreating a painting using a clear canvas as claimed in claim 8 andfurther comprising the step of applying a clear coating to the frontside of the canvas to simulate brush strokes and enhance the appearanceof the painting.
 15. A painting technique using an at least partiallyclear canvas having front and back sides, said painting techniquecomprising applying outlines and highlight colors to the front side ofthe canvas and applying field and background colors to the back side ofthe canvas, the field and background colors being visible through thecanvas from the front side thereof to convey a vivid composite imagemade up of the outline and highlight colors on the front of the canvasand the filed and background colors from the back side of the canvas.16. The painting technique of claim 15 and further comprising applying aclear coating to the front side of the canvas to enhance the appearanceof the painting and simulate brush strokes.
 17. A process of reproducingan image comprising the steps of: (a) providing an at least partiallytransparent canvas having a front side and a back side; (b) placing thecanvas atop an image to be rendered on the canvas with the front side ofthe canvas exposed, the image being visible through the canvas; (c)tracing preselected portions of the image onto the front side of thecanvas; (d) turning the canvas over to expose the back side of thecanvas; and (e) painting other portions of the image onto the back sideof the canvas, the canvas, when viewed from the front side thereof,conveying a completed image made up of portions of the image on thefront side of the canvas and other portions of the image visible throughthe canvas from the back side thereof.
 18. The process of claim 17 andwherein step (a) the canvas has at least one side that is textured. 19.The process of claim 18 and further including applying a clear coatingto the front side of the canvas to enhance the appearance of the image.20. The process of claim 19 and wherein portions of the image applied tothe front side of the canvas include outlines of the image andhighlights on the image and wherein the other portions of the image onthe back side of the canvas include field colors and background colorsof the image.